Truth: Stranger than Fiction
by kyouko68
Summary: As everyone knows, Jean has a huge crush on Mikasa. But what happens when a plan goes wrong and he slowly begins to have eyes for Armin? Slight AU where Marco is alive and things are less complicated. Jearmin
1. Chapter 1

**Hey internet people! This is my first time writing a Shingeki no Kyojin fanfiction so be kind to me if I get anything canonically wrong. It's mostly Jean's point of view. Oh yeah, there's Alive!Marco too! Well, here I go, enjoy!**

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Truth: Stranger than Fiction

Black hair is beautiful. I don't care what anyone says. Just look at those flowing locks resting on the shoulders of the ever stunning Mikasa Ackerman. I watched as she sat at her usual table along with Eren and Armin. I never understood why she liked Eren so much. It wasn't fair at all.

Those three were joined to the hip as if they were related. Unless they are related...No way, they don't look anything alike. Especially with Armin's blonde hair and blue eyes.

I can't get anywhere near Mikasa without Eren being there to bitch at me. There's no way in hell I'd try to be nice to Eren even if it meant I could get closer to the raven haired beauty. My eyes wondered to Armin who was shyly laughing at something Eren said.

Armin was a good kid. He never pisses me off as much as Eren does. He was also probably the smartest kid I've ever met. I could understand why Mikasa was friends with him. Maybe if I hung around Armin, there's a good chance that Mikasa would recognize me as a human being that exists! I mean, not that she hasn't already. No woman could resist my good looks.

"Hey, Jean. What are you staring at?" Marco's voice interrupted my thoughts. "You've been looking over at that table for literally fifteen minutes. Let me guess, you're looking at Mikasa again?" he guessed practically.

"I can't help it. Just look at her she's gorgeous!" I swooned. "I was just thinking up some ways on how to get closer to her you know. I have to take baby steps to reach the day when she and I could make a life together or something." I said as I imagined a big wedding.

"Wow, you are a big dreamer. I respect you for that." Marco said. I sensed almost the slightest hint of sarcasm in his words.

"What? You don't think I could do it?" I scowled at him. Marco put his hands up defensively with a humorous grin on his freckled face.

"I never said that! Mikasa's just...you know...All she cares about is Eren. I never seen her willingly hang out with anyone else beside Armin." Marco chuckled. I crossed my arms over my chest.

"I thought of a plan though," I told him. "All I need to do is squeeze myself into their little threesome over there." I gestured over to Mikasa, Armin, and Eren.

"That's sounds wrong..."

"Get your head out of the gutter, Marco. I just need to get Armin to like me at the least. Mikasa will have to notice me then." I said. Marco shrugged.

"Well, that won't be hard. Armin is a nice guy. How are you going to deal with Eren though. last time I checked, Eren doesn't enjoy your company all too well." Marco said then casually took a drink from his cup.

"Who cares what he thinks. I'm not going out of my way trying to impress him. Making friends with Armin will be the easy part. But I'm sure the rest will be smooth sailing." Half of me was really confident of my words, but the other half not so much. I mean, Mikasa has barely said three words to me the entire time I've known her. I guess it's better late than never right?

* * *

I let out a long yawn despite the current situation we were in. There was a reported breach on the northwest part of the wall. No one was actually sure since the damage was supposedly on the outside of the wall.

It was six am and the sun was barely peeking over the horizon. Everyone wasn't too thrilled about going outside the wall. That practically meant imminent doom. We had to saddle up our horses and hook up to our 3D maneuvering gear before we set out.

As I was getting ready to hop on my horse I spotted Armin not too far away. It looked like he was having some trouble with his horses saddle. I saw this window of opportunity and I took it. I quickly sauntered to the shorter boy.

"Need some help?" I said as I popped up behind him. Armin jumped a little from my sudden appearance. "Here, I got it for you." I was showing off just a tiny bit by securely fastening his materials onto the horse.

"O-oh, thank you, Jean! You didn't have to..." Armin said with a slight blush on his face. I patted him on the shoulder.

"No thanks necessary, Armin. What are friends for?" With that I walked away. Yeah, that's it. Do small gestures first. No need to dive in head first.

Once we were outside the wall, tensions were high as they usually were whenever we come out here. We were being led by Hanji and Irvin as they were all the way up front. I stuck to the left flank trotting next to Marco.

So far there were no titans since morning had just arrived. It won't take long for them to catch wind of us. _Damn, where the hell is this so called breach? _It wasn't until fifteen minutes later until we here loud foot steps out in the distance. Frightened gasps rang out in our group.

"Stay calm, everyone we'll pick up the pace." I heard Hanji's voice. Our horses speed went from trots to canters. Up ahead we came across what looked like three 13 meter class titans clawing at the wall producing a wide gouge in the concrete._ Damn deviants._ I thought.

At their feet, there like six or seven 5-7 meter class titans that were just standing around until they spotted us coming at them. Like zombies they came lumbering toward us. "Deviants~, man it's too bad we don't have the gear to capture them!" Hanji sighed.

Irvin signaled everyone to get battle ready. I hated situations like this the most. This is about the time when all you think about is not getting eaten. No matter how successful the mission, you always have to painfully listen to all the people who has died.

After the first titan that was taken down by Hanji, that's when everything heated up. Some people tried to seek refuge in the trees while others like Mikasa, Eren, Hanji, Irvin, and others were engaged in battle.

I jumped in to help too, but I was secretly hoping they would kill the titans before I have to engage battle. We just need to killed enough of them so that they would stop trying to claw at the wall. It's not deep enough where we have to repair it right away. I could hear Hanji apologizing dramatically as she killed one of the deviants.

I almost got caught by one of those shitty 5 meter class titans. Those things were fast! I got caught in the canopy of a tree. I couldn't see it, but the last of the deviants was killed. We were finally ordered to retreat.

* * *

I took a look around at our troop as we returned to the safety of the walls. It was always hard to watch. There was people crying from the people who didn't make it, There was people limping from broken bones or even missing limbs.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I spotted Marco sitting by the horses water troth. He was with Armin sitting on a box while the blonde tended to his wounds. I bounded up to them. "Marco, I couldn't find you anywhere, you could've given me a heart attack."

"Oh, I'm fine. But what about you? You look a little beat up yourself." Marco told me.

"I could help you patch up." Armin offered with kind eyes as he stood up. I rubbed the back of my head and smiled at him.

"It's ok, I'm not-"

"Jean, your bleeding!" Armin's eyes widen as he looked at my side. I looked down with confusion. Right under my jacket there was a growing patch of blood on my shirt. I started to feel dizzy.

"How did that get there." I said as I plopped down on the grass. I took off my jacket before Armin lifted up his shirt. I craned my neck to try and see the damage. There was a long gash on the side across my ribs. "I must have scraped myself pretty bad on those trees." I chuckled.

I took my shirt off to let Armin treat me. "This will hurt a bit." he said before he poured alcohol on my wound. I winced at the pain. "Sorry" he apologized. "On the bright side, it doesn't need stitches." I watched as he wrapped the bandages around my torso. You know, I've never seen Armin up this close before.

He had a soft bottom nose and sparkly blue eyes. Armin's round face made him look a lot younger than he was and even a little feminine. His thin eyebrows were slightly pulled together with concentration. I could see a slight amount of pink that dusted his cheeks. My eyes unconsciously moved to his soft looking lips.

_Whoa whoa whoa, freeze! What the hell was that? _I thought as my eyes directed to the sky. Armin might have looked a little girly, but he's still a _guy_! Armin's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Is it tight?"

"What?" I questioned in a panic.

"Are the bandages too tight?" Armin reiterated. His eyes were wide and innocent.

"Oh, no it's fine." I said quickly. I felt like an idiot with a dirty mind. What the hell is wrong with me right now?

"You have a scrape on your forehead here. I'll patch that up too while I'm at it." he said he rubbed an alcohol damp cloth to my head. I winced a bit. "Sorry" Armin's other hand cupped my face. He was too close. I wanted to say something, but for some reason I couldn't. I could feel my face heat up.

I could barely concentrate on what Armin was doing. "There you go." he began to put everything back in the first aid kit. I watched him walk away until a heard Marco clear his throat. I looked over at him. Marco had some kind of knowing smile on his face.

"What?"

"I didn't say anything." he said simply.

"What's with the look?" I questioned. Marco just shrugged. I hate it when he does that. Marco always thinks that he knows things that I don't and it pisses me off. I decided to ignore him and looked back at where Armin went. He was talking with Eren, Mikasa, and Conny.

I must be losing my mind.

* * *

I opened my eyes as I was greeted with a clear blue sky. I could feel warm grass beneath me. For some reason I did not want to move. It was like my body was too relaxed as I just laid there admiring the sky.

I heard someone giggle above me. I looked over to see an all too familiar face. "A-armin..." I managed to say. For some reason he was wearing a pretty orange dress that went down to his knees and a big sun hat sat on top of his head. His hair blew gently in the breeze.

"Whatcha doing, sleepy head?" he said. I still couldn't move body as if I was frozen to the spot. Armin walked in front me and step across my chest so that both feet were on each side of my hips.

"Um...Armin. What exactly are you-" I tried to say before he sat on my abdomen. I gasped. I still couldn't move my body to do anything about it. Armin leaned in and put his hands on my face lifting my chin just a bit.

I couldn't help but stare at his body. Armin doesn't have curves like that does he? It was like his face on a woman's body minus the boobs. "I love you, Jean." he whispered.

"Eh?" I could feel myself blush. Armin's angelic face was too much for me to bear. I looked down at those tantalizing lips that I seen before. They moved closer to mine as our faces were merely centimeters apart.

My eyes opened abruptly as I was greeted by Marco's worried face. "Jean, what was that just now?" he asked. "I thought you were having a seizer in you sleep or something."

I sat up and put a hand to my face. _What the hell kind of dream was that? _It was like the same kind of dream I'd normally have except it was usually Mikasa that would be in it. I must be losing my mind. It was probably nothing anyway. Dreams were always meant to fuck with your mind. Right?

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**Tell me how you think ne? I don't want it to be too graphic and violent, I'll be trying to avoid that. See ya soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hooray for fast updates! I want to also keep spoilers at the minimum for those who are new to the fandom idk. I again want to apologize for any inaccuracies you see. So anyway enjoy the next chapter!**

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Chapter 2: Thinking straight

I was relieved when it was training time. I needed to distract myself with _something._ I was still freaking out about that dream I had l three days ago. It shouldn't bother me as long as I don't think about it I seem to be failing. "Is something wrong Jean? You seem a little distracted." Marco was always good at reading people. Damn him.

"I'm fine, Marco. It's probably my injury anyway." I told him stubbornly. Only the people that were well enough to move were working out. It's not like I want to work out it's just that I kind of like showing off in front the ladies.

"Do you want me to spot you, Jean?" Marco offered. We were at the bench pressing station. Yeah, I was pretty strong. I could press over 300 if I wanted to. Usually when Reiner spots me he makes me do that kind of stuff, but I could pull it off no problem.

Everyone was usually in pairs. I saw Conny and Sasha running along the track. Mikasa was with Annie as they were practicing their fighting techniques (which was fun to watch). Eren was trying to do pushups as Corporal Rivaille sat on his back (rough). Reiner and Bertholdt were doing chin ups on the high bars. I couldn't see where everyone else was.

I shrugged as I began my work out. About three minutes passed as I was about to reach 180 lifts on 250 pounds when I heard a familiar voice approach. "Hey, Marco. Hey Jean." I quickly recognized the voice. It was Armin. I panted as I hastily set the weight down.

I sat up to see him walking towards us with an arm full of canteens. "Hey, Shorty." I greeted first. I tried to play it cool. I haven't really talked to him since I had that dream. I still needed to get my head in the game and stop letting things get to me.

"Are you guys thirsty?" He asked as he offered us each a canteen.

"Thanks, Armin." Marco said. I wiped myself off with a towel and threw it over my shoulder. I took a swig from the canteen before I began to speak.

"Man, I'm hungry. You should come eat with us during lunch Armin." I said to the boy. Armin straightened a bit.

"Th-that's ok. I usually sit with Eren and Mikasa." he said timidly. I felt a tinge of jealousy. I stood up and put a hand on his shoulder. He jumped a bit from my touch.

"Man, I envy you. You and Eren get to be so close to Mikasa. She's only ever nice to you guys." I said putting on a sad face.

"That's not true. I mean, Mikasa is a nice person. You can come sit with us if you want to." Armin offered. I smiled trying not to look over excited.

"Really? You'd let me sit with you guys? How thoughtful!" I patted him on the back. "You really are a nice person, Armin." I told him. I almost missed the obvious blush that appeared on Armin's face. There was nothing like a bit of flattery. How come I didn't think of this earlier? Now I can sit at the table the Mikasa sits at.

I must now think of ways to woo her while I'm there. She'll eventually see how much of a genius I am.

* * *

Later that day at lunch time, I stood in line for food with Armin having an engaging conversation. "But seriously, I think it would have been easier if we just lived underground or something." I said. Don't ask me how this topic came up 'cause I don't even know.

"I'm pretty sure humans need sunlight to survive. How else would we grow things?" he said. Well, he got me there. I never knew how fun it was to talk to this kid. As we moved down the line I snagged the last cinnamon roll.

"Aww, their no more?" Armin said with a disappointed voice. I looked at the roll then at Armin. I sighed.

"Here, you can have mine." I offered. "I already have too much on my plate anyway." I gave the sweet snack to him. His eyes sparkled.

"Really? Thank you so much! I could never arrive in enough time before they're all taken." he said. I rubbed the back of my neck feeling my face warm up a bit.

"It's nothing." I claimed. Once we got out of the line Armin surprised me when he took my free hand in his.

"Come on, I promised you can sit with us remember." he said as he steered me through the crowd. _Yes! _I thought. _This is it. I'm basically Armin's best pal right now. I bet if I play my cards right, Mikasa will have to pay attention to me._

"Is this seat taken?" I greeted everyone at the table. The people who sat there was Eren, Mikasa, Sasha, Conny, Reiner, and Bertholdt.

"Jean? What are you doing over here?" Conny said to me first.

"What? A guy can't sit in new places once in a while?" I said as I took a seat. I took a glance at Mikasa who was quietly eating soup. She was sitting right across from me which made me a very happy camper. I stole a glance at Eren who saw me looking at him. He just huffed and continued eating. It's not like I hated him, I just can't stand him most of the time.

It isn't so bad sitting at their table. I never know Conny had so many interesting stories to tell. I also haven't realized how funny Sasha is. Man, I need to bring Marco over here next time. The whole time I kept on stealing glances at Mikasa. One time she even chuckled at something Sasha said. My heart did a triple somersault from that. This has been a really good day indeed.

* * *

That night I couldn't sleep much. I couldn't sleep in a good way, though. I was too busy basking at what a genius I am. I also have Armin to thank too.

Speaking of Armin, I wonder if I could get some pointers or something from him. He seems to know Mikasa a lot better than anyone else beside Eren. There was no way I was going to ask for Eren's help though.

I took a big content sigh. I couldn't sleep. I got up from my bed and looked around. Everyone was asleep by now. I guess it was pretty late at night. I guess I just need some fresh air. I take a walk.

I tip toed down the aisle of bed and snores until I reached the door. I closed the door gentle behind me. I turned around and was greeted by Armin who was _right _behind me. "_Oh shit!" _I cursed leaning back on the door and gripping my chest.

"Hey, Jean. What are you doing up so late?" he asked. I scowled at him.

"Man, you scared the shit out of me. We need like a bell on you or somethin'. And I was just about to ask you the same thing." I claimed. Armin just shrugged his shoulders.

"I couldn't sleep so I came out here. It's really warm out tonight. Do you want to take a walk with me?" he looked very casual right now which was something he never really did when he spoke to me. He probably officially considers me his friend now.

"Sure, but you know it's against the rules to be outside during night time right?" I said wondering if that would deter the boy. He had his hand behind his back with his fingers entwined looking anything but bothered.

"I know. I do this all the time when I have a lot on my mind." he said simply as he began to walk. "I mean, it's not against the rules if you don't get caught right?" he chuckled. I gave him an impressed expression.

"Ooh, looks like someone's the little rebel." I said as I followed him. Our headquarters was on some sort of open prairie with a few trees scattered around. We were walking around for a few minutes having a light conversation.

"There it is, look," Armin jogged over to and old gnarled looking tree. "I like to climb this one." he said as he began to scale the ancient tree. It looked pretty easy so I followed him. Armin's small size made it better to maneuver around the thick branches.

"Man, you usually go this high? Don't you ever worry about falling?" I questioned as I clung on to a branch.

"Nope not at all." he said as he sat on the sturdiest branch at the top of the tree. He moved over so that I could sit next to him. "Just look at the view it gives us." I was so distracted from the climbing that I just noticed the scenery.

The sky was practically cloudless and I could see for almost miles. There was millions of twinkling stars in the sky coupled with a bright full moon. I whistled. "Wow..."

"I know right." Armin responded. "I've always wondered if mankind survived long enough, we might be able to one day go into outer space." Armin reached his hand upwards. "It's funny how it's like we can almost touch the stars, but there actually millions upon millions of light years away."

"Your really into this kind of stuff are you." I said. I could tell from the expression he wore. It was so full of passion.

"Yeah, I read so many books on the subject." He said excitedly. "Did you know that there are eight other planets besides earth? We just happen to be the third plant from the sun!"

"Really? No way." I said with disbelief. I keep on forgetting about how smart this kid is. Right now he had a completely thrilled expression.

"Oh Jean, there's so much you need to know!" Armin began rambling on and on about planets and constellation. I stared at him the entire time. I've never seen him this happy before. Just a week ago Armin and I barely talked to each other. Now we're conversing like we've known each other for years.

I subconsciously loved the way his cheeks flushed when he talked too much or his eyes sparkling as he talks about something he loves. He also had the cutest snort when he laughs and then a bashful look whenever he did it.

I felt a familiar twinge in my stomach. I didn't know what it was only that I've felt it before. It made me smile as I talked with the blonde boy. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I liked the feeling. I decided to ignore it. It probably wasn't anything anyway.


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm like a speed demon with these updates eh? Thank you all for you reviews! It really encourages me ya know~ :3. Here's the next chapter as a treat! This chapter will have some of Armin's point of view. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 3: A Pinch of Soul

I sneezed for the umpteenth time today. Why the hell did we have to clean this damn attic or whatever the fuck you call this room. It was on the top floor of Headquarters and it was like the building's storage room or some shit.

The place was dusty as hell and there was so much useless stuff we found up here. Boxes after boxes of crap. "Why the hell are we doing this again?" I asked no one in particular as I uncovered my face from the bandana to wipe my face.

"We're making room for a new place to put people who are injured. The room we have is already full." Christa answered.

"Seriously? That sure makes sense though." I said as I heaved another box and carried it downstairs with everyone else. I noticed that some people were finding things they like throughout this junk. Ymir uncovered a fully functional ping pong table. They were still on the search for paddles and ping pong balls. I guess anything we find that we like, we can keep which is probably the only good thing about this work.

"Hey look guys, a radio!" Conny exclaimed. I spotted him across the room fiddling with the antennas. How come everyone's finding cool shit but me? Christa found yarn and knitting needles. Sasha found a whole box of colored pencils. Even Eren found a cool looking medieval sword. All I ever found were books or crappy knick knacks.

"Man, I hate doing this. I mean, what the hell am I gonna do with this?" I picked up a book. "Phi...sics..and chromo...what?" I read the cover out loud.

Armin came out of nowhere and snatched it out of my hands. "Physics and Chromatography! I've read something like this." Armin dusted the book of with his sleeve. "Can I have it?" he asked. I shrugged.

"Knock yourself out." I said dully. I pouted softly and muttered. "Egg head." I was a little peeved I couldn't find anything I liked. The entire room was nearly emptied and I couldn't find one thing that caught my eye.

Suddenly I spotted a familiar shape behind one particularly large box. I pushed it aside with little effort. "Yo, check it out." I said catching the attention of everyone around me. I picked up the dusty black case and brushed it off.

"Is that a guitar case?" Marco asked as he looked up from his sweeping. "Does it have a guitar in it?"

"You know it! It feels that way though." I set it down and opened it up. I didn't expect what I found. I was skeptical at the condition, but I was almost blown away at what I found. "Man, this thing looks brand new! Why would anyone want to put this up here?"

I could tell just by looking at it that it was made of beautiful redwood that had a slightly worn surface. It even had all of its strings. I felt along the neck and discovered a small crack under the nut. "Nothing a little tape can't fix." I muttered.

"Jean, I didn't know you could play the guitar." Armin said as he set down a small box.

"Yeah, this is news to me too." Marco added. I strummed the guitar and cringed. It sounded disgusting, it obviously needs a good tuning.

"Yeah, I'm keeping this." I decided. I just so happen to know my way around an instrument thank you. Maybe I could do some wooing during lunch.

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**Armin POV:**

During lunch, there was more chatter than usual. I knew with this much noise I wouldn't be able to read my new book so I just decided to partake in everyone else's excitement. It was so relaxing taking a break from the busy work as a scout. There hasn't been much activity outside the walls lately so that was a good sign.

"And...done!" Jean put the last bit of tape around the cracked area around the guitar he found earlier. "Now I can finally tune this properly." he said as he turned the pegs slightly.

"Are you gonna play that for us, Jean?" asked Sasha with a full mouth. Jean smirked.

"It all depends. Do you guys want me to play for you?" he asked gladly.

"Yes! Do it! I want to hear you sing!" Conny said daringly. Everyone else at the table was more than excited for Jean to play. I was pretty sure they wanted him to do it because they were challenging his skills.

"Ok, if that's what you all want. Let's see if I remember how to do this." Jean said with an obvious smug expression. When he was done tuning and getting the chords to the right pitch he began to play. He strum the notes sloppily at first then got use to the rhythm.

Everyone sitting at the table's attention was directed to Jean as he began to sing. [Music and lyrics of your choice] To say that Jean was good was a massive understatement. I never heard anyone sing like that since I was very young.

I was enchanted. I rested my elbows on the table with my hands propping my head up as I watched him. You know, I never realized how handsome Jean was only since a few days ago. I've only really seen him looking angry or frustrated, but ever since he started acting friendly towards me I've been able to see more positive expressions from him.

While Jean was singing, at one point he looked at me then winked. I felt my face change color. That's really embarrassing because he could have easily spotted that blush. I wasn't the tannest person around.

People cheered at the table when the song was finished. I clapped as well still feeling the blush on my cheeks. "Wow, you're the last person I'd suspect to have a singing voice like that." Eren said with a rare teasing smile.

"Oh, you're just jealous of my musician skills." Jean replied looking very haughty and satisfied. Everyone wanted to hear another song, but unfortunately our time for lunch was over and we had to get back to training.

Every time I took a glance at Jean I could feel my heart beat quickening. I knew this feeling all too well. I couldn't be..._falling _for Jean could I? The thought made me want to sit in the corner for the rest of the day.

Jean is undoubtedly straight since he has an obvious infatuation for Mikasa. I can't let myself be roped in by something like this. Not again. I've had my fair share of crushes in the past. All of them were for people who were way out of my league and Jean was no exception.

Why does this always happen to me?

* * *

All of us had a little time to talk before bed time. I laid face down on my bed while Eren and Mikasa were talking to each other. It wouldn't take long for them to notice that I wasn't taking part in the conversation.

"Hey Armin, are you ok?" Eren asked first. My face was in my pillow, but I just nodded. I still need to do some sulking, but I know both Eren and Mikasa won't let me do that. "What's wrong? Was training to tough today?" he asked. I turned my head to look at Eren's concerned face.

"No, I'm just...tired." I said. Eren and Mikasa exchanged looks. "What?" I inquired.

"Who is it this time, Armin?" Mikasa asked. I lifted my head up quickly.

"What do you mean?" I tried to excuse, but I forgot how much they could read me like an open book.

"Armin, we've known you since we were like seven. I can tell you probably have a crush on someone, am I right?" Eren as he petted my hair. Is it that easy to tell? It's not like I could deny it any further because I'm too self aware. It's like a curse of mine.

"Well...I...I can't tell you." I said then plopped my head down on my pillow again. I didn't want to face them. It's already embarrassing enough that I 'like like' Jean. I hadn't had a crush in years so I feel like a stupid kid.

"Come on, Armin you can tell us-"

"Actually," Mikasa butted in before Eren could finish his sentence. "You can tell us when your ready Armin, there's no rush. Besides, whoever it is I'm sure likes you too." she said soothingly. I could just see the disappointed pout that Eren was probably giving.

This is the worst. I was now feeling a twinge of jealousy because Mikasa was so pretty and Jean had an obvious crush on her. Jean once said something about loving black hair. I clearly don't have that. I need some sleep or my brain will rot or something.

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**Idk, I'm literally pulling things out of my ass right now. I know most of the things they found don't even exist yet, but let me have a little fun. I love my headcannon for Jean because his voice actor is a singer! You can't blame me.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ok that's enough R&R, time for some real action in this chapter. The rating will change in the future but for now, have some plot. Enjoy!**

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Chapter: Something bad

I woke up to the sound of rushing feet all around the cabin. "Jean, wake up!" I heard Marco say. I jerked my head up. I looked around with squinted eyes to see people getting dressed in a hurry. I sat up quickly.

"What the hell is going on? What time is it?" I drawled as I tried to put my boots on. I looked outside to see that it was barely light out.

"It's five am." Marco answered. "There's some kind of emergency going on. We have to be at the top of the wall by seven. No one knows why yet." he told me. I groaned. That's just what I needed to start my day off with. A potential tragedy.

Things like this got me worried so much because anything we do here in the Scouting Legion could lead to impendent death all the time. You never know if today will be your last. I wasn't confident enough with my skills to guarantee my safety every time. And even if I don't die, I always fear the day I find out that any of my friends have died.

It usually took a while to get to the top of the wall since it _was_ 50 meters tall. It was about a hour and a half later before everyone up and at attention. It everyone was whispering to each other with confusion.

"At attention scouts!" Irvin saluted. Everyone stood in an eerie silence. "You're probably wondering why I've brought you all here at such an early notice. We've been given some rather concerning news from the Stationary guard."

Everyone exchanged grim looks as Commander Irvin continued. "There has mysteriously been a large drop in the number of titans in the area and it has everyone concerned." he said. louder murmurs came from the others scouts.

"How is that possible?" Someone asked. That was basically what everyone was thinking so we quieted down a bit before Irvin answered.

"Everyone I brought you up here to take a look for yourself." he took a step and gestured towards the edge of the wall. We moved to carefully look over the edge. The terrain was bair like it usually is, but there was not a titan in sight.

It was even completely light outside by now. Usually there would be five or six seen clawing at the wall or peppered into the landscape, but there wasn't anything. It was eerily still and quiet. More confused whispering erupted amongst the small crowd.

"Our division has been ordered to scout the area." Irvin continued as people gazed at the back drop. "If we come across a titan we will capture it and bring it back to head quarters for further experimentation. That part will be organized by squad leader Hanji Zoe," he gestured to the girl who happily waved at everyone. "In an hour from now we will have a missions briefing meeting in the lecture room. You are dismissed. Feel free to stay up here if you want just don't be late." And with that Irvin left along with most people. I decided to stay as I leaned over the side of the wall and continued to gaze at the horizon.

"It's beautiful right?" I almost jumped at the voice from behind me. It was Armin. "Don't you think?" he insisted. I blinked before I replied.

"Yeah, It looks a lot better without those ugly faces walking about." I responded. "I don't know about everyone else but I'm happy those freaks are gone."

"I don't know, I think something's up, don't you? Haven't you ever heard about silence before the storm?" Armin suggested. I frowned.

"Well I sure hope not." I chuckled nervously. Armin laughed as well.

"You know it's funny. If there really was no more titans it really would be a dream come true. I mean, I've always wanted to explore outside the walls. It's been my life's dream to travel the world you know. Go places where others haven't you know. Especially the ocean!"

"Hm? What's that?"

"You don't know? Somewhere in the world there's this...uh..big pool of water filled with a whole bunch of wild life adapted to water!"

"A big pool of water? You mean like a lake or something?"

"No no, this is different. It's a large body of water as far as the eye could see! And...and it has salt in it!" Armin was blushing but it was probably because of how fast he was talking. "Could you imagine? Salt wouldn't be a rare resource anymore! And...and..."

"Whoa, calm down there. Breath." I laughed and patted him on the back. Armin blushed darker then covered his face with his hands. "Hey, it's alright to talk about things you like." I assured.

"I-I'm sorry. It's just that, I haven't really told anyone that other than Eren and Mikasa. I also told some of our old neighborhood kids but they'd just want to beat me up because of it." he laughed timidly. I don't know what it was but I liked listening to this kid talk. I sat down and leaned on a cannon wheel.

"That's fine. Tell me more about this ocean thingy." I said gesturing for him to sit down as well. Armin looked ecstatic.

* * *

Everyone gathered inside the lecture room. There was a diagram being drawn on the chalk board by Irvin. Hanji and Rivaille stood beside him. Hanji was smiling looking rather friendly while Rivaille wore his usual frown as if he was angry at the world. _I don't think I ever once seen that guy smile once. _I thought with a grimace.

"Ok everyone take your seats." Irvin addressed. "This is a serious mission that will either take a few days or a few weeks. We will literally be looking for these titans. We will not comeback without a titan unless the plan is a failure."

Irvin explained the formation we'd be in once we depart. The there will be split into three different groups to cover more ground. He described the different colored flares to use like if you see a titan, fire a red one or if it's a deviant, fire a black one and other signals of that nature.

Everyone was put into groups. Each group was going to be led Hanji, Rivaille and Irvin. "We'll load up today, but we'll set out tomorrow morning. You are dismissed."

* * *

**Armin POV:**

"Hey, Armin I'm going to go hit the showers, you coming?" Eren asked as he threw a towel over his shoulder. I looked up from the book I was reading.

"Oh yeah sure." I was about to follow Eren to the stalls when I saw Jean come in the cabin without a shirt on. He was a bit sweaty from doing a little extra training. _He was serious when he said he wanted to be stronger. _I thought feeling my cheeks color a bit. I shook it off as approached him.

"Hey, Jean." I greeted him as he was drinking from his canteen. "We're going to the showers, you...uh... want to join us?" I asked shyly.

"Oh sure, let me just get Marco, I'll join you." he said.

"Ok, see you there." I said, then rejoined Eren who was waiting at the doorway. I walked up to him. For some reason Eren was giving me a look. "What?" I questioned.

"You sure have been a lot more buddy buddy with Jean lately." Eren said with crossed arms. At first I didn't respond which was a mistake because Eren began to smile knowingly.

"I-I just...he's actually nicer than you think! I mean, he nice to me. And he listens when I talk which is something that's hard to find for me." I told him. Eren shrugged and began to walk again.

"I just wish you could have told me that Jean was the one you had a crush on." Eren said casually. I jumped.

"I never said that!" I tried.

"It's ok, Armin. You don't have to be shy about it. I just want to know, why him? He's kind of an egotistical jerk." Eren said.

"Not really! He just speaks his mind a lot. And you're not the one to speak! You're in love with a angry cleaning fanatic with little social skill." I countered. Eren blushed brightly.

"Th-that's so not true! And don't let him here you say that!" Eren said looking around anxiously. "Anyway, I guess I approve, but if he hurts you in anyway his ass is grass."

"Don't say that! It's not like we're together or anything. He just sees me as his little nerdy friend just like everyone else." I said while twiddling my fingers.

"Honestly Armin I don't think I can help you win his heart, but I'll support you no matter what." Eren said with a warm smile.

"Wow, you're in a good mood today." I chuckled.

"Hey, today we found out that there aren't any titans, as far as I know I should be partying." he laughed. "I want this to last as long as possible. It's like a dream come true right?"

"Yeah," I agreed. Eren's right, I did feel like a had a big weight lifted off of my shoulders, but it all depends on what happens on the mission. But if there really is no more titans, I'd be the happiest person in the world. I just hope that doesn't end too soon.

* * *

**Well, this story is going to be longer than I thought it would, but that's ok right? See you all next time ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello everyone! Sorry I took so long. You know with school starting and all, I'm lucky I have any free time anymore. Just a friendly reminder that the rating of this will change eventually :). Here it is! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 5: Something strange?

We left at five o'clock in the morning. On any typical morning, everyone would be tired as hell, but since we were going outside of the wall, tensions were immediately high as we packed up. Even though there was word of titans being gone, there was no real reassurance.

Usually the only people we can hear talking was either Irvin, Hanji, and occasionally Rivaille. I could also hear whispers from other people about how apprehensive they were about this entire operation. Even though it was mostly quiet when it came to voices, everyone moved hastily as it didn't take long to mount up.

When the announcement about the titan situation got out to the public, all I could see were relieved faces and happy smiles around the crowd. I sat there looking a bit grave as I was deep in thought. I would have been a lot happier if we didn't have to leave the safety of the walls.

"Pst! Jean, are you ok?" Marco asked as his horse slowly walked next to mine.

"I'm fine. I just have an uneasy feeling you now? I can't put my finger on it." I told him. Marco gave a half hearted smile.

"I know how you feel. But I'm just trying to imagine a world without titans. Just think of how much we could explore the world without being terrified of being eaten." he said with a slight chuckle. Talk of exploring the world just made me think of that conversation I had with Armin. I looked around for him. He was a few horses in front of me and right next to Eren as they were conversing silently.

"Yeah..." I said as I continued to stare at the back of Armin's head. A moment passed before I noticed that Marco didn't say anything. I looked at him realizing that he was staring at me. "What?" I questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"It's nothing, it's just..." Marco gestured to the far left of Eren where Mikasa was. "Mikasa's over there, yet you were staring somewhere else." he said.

"Pff, come on. I don't stare at her that much." I said. Clearly that was a bit of a lie, but this time I wasn't!

"Yeah, but you always have the same face when you're doing it. This time it looked like you were making the face to," Marco leaned forward and squinted a bit. "Eren?"

"What? Hell no!" I snapped.

"Haha, I'm guest kidding. But if you're willing to move on, I'll be really proud." He said with a chuckled. I rolled my eyes. That can't be right. I'm not moving on. And if I was I wouldn't be interested in Armin, right?

Armin. I've been thinking a lot about that kid. This shouldn't be happening, but I think I've gotten addicted to his shining eyes and warm smile. Despite what goes on usually all I want to do is see him smile. I can't help but think this way sub-consciously.

My thoughts were interrupted as the line of horses began to move forward. "Look alive, Jean." Marco said. I visibly straightened. Man, this job is so stressful. I'm surprised I haven't grown any grey hairs by now.

There was a few cheering coming from the crowd, mainly from the children and young adults, but that was fine too. You'd be lucky to get anything from the older individuals since all they care about is where their tax dollars are going towards.

Once every last horse exited the gates, it immediately closed afterwards. We were now entering non-human territory. After we extended to about 2 to 3 kilometers, Irvin gave the signal from the front of the coven to split into our three groups. Irvin's group went north, Hanji's group went northeast, and Rivaille's group northwest.

I was in Rivaille's group. I was glad that people like Marco and Armin were a part of my group, but was peeved that Mikasa wasn't and Eren was. The plan was to go in one direction for about 30 kilometers and if a group comes across some titans, then the group must send out a flare signaling the others. But once a group goes pass 30 kilometers without encountering a single titan, a blue flare will be fired to signal the others to head north once more than we'll all eventually meet.

This was going to be a long mission and I know it. Wall Maria was thousands of kilometers in diameter so the different branches of the scouting legion are doing the same mission around the outer wall. There's no telling what can come of this mission. It could either go really good, or really bad. It's usually the second option which is the main reason everyone is in such a panic.

But right now, everything was going good. _Too _good I might add. We've been riding for almost 3 hours and there hasn't been one sighting of a titan yet. Not even a flare signal from the other groups. At some point I was able to make it up front where the Corporal was. I overheard him talking with Eren and Armin.

"Don't ask me, this is the first for me too," I heard Rivaille say. "I've never gone this far outside the walls without seeing a single titan. What exactly are these bastards playing at?" he sneered.

"Sir, the horses are starting the slow down considerably. We'll eventually have to stop and take a break." Armin put forth. It was true, we've been running for hours and I just now noticed that we defiantly started this journey much faster than this.

"Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing." the Corporal replied. "See that pond over there," he gestured to the small body of water to our right. "We'll stop their for now. Let's go." he led his horse to that direction and the rest of us followed.

* * *

**Armin POV**

I took a big swig of water from my canteen. "Be careful, Armin. We need to make that last." Eren said. I smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, it's just a little hot out." I said. The horses idly drank at the pond while everyone sat and watched as if a titan was going to come out of nowhere at any moment. But so far the scenery was clear as it has been since this morning.

Eren, Jean, Marco, and I were sitting on the grass in a circle. "So think about it guys, what if titans are gone now. I mean how would you explain this, look around!" Eren preached waving his hands around.

"Don't jinx it Jeager, you could say that one moment then _bam _titan city." Jean said skeptically.

"Yeah, I agree" I added. "Titans can't just suddenly disappear can they? I don't know, I just have a really bad feeling about all of this."

"I guess you're right, but having no titans around is certainly relieving. I mean look at everyone." Marco gestured to the squad who were talking amongst themselves. Usually everyone stays deathly silent during missions and we'd all have critical expressions on our faces. The air was even lighter. Although the unsettling feeling of being exposed to the outside world was still there.

"Whatever's going on, I'm still mad that Mikasa isn't here. I would have gladly traded you for her." Jean said specifically to Eren. Eren rolled his eyes.

"It's not like she wants anything to do with you anyway." Eren countered smugly. "And plus you're looking for love in the wrong place my long faced friend. Right Armin?"

Jean frowned angrily. "And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" he demanded. I felt my heart skip a beat as I realized what Eren was insinuating. Jean turned to me. "What does he mean?" My mouth hung open as I tried to think of what to say.

"I...uh...Well, I think..." I thought for a second. "I think that you should realize that Mikasa isn't really interested...in you...necessarily..." I said timidly.

"What? So your saying that I have no chance with her?" Jean turned to Marco who just shrugged.

"That's what I've trying to tell you." he said a-matter-of-factly.

"B-but..." I started to get Jeans attention back. "There is someone that _does _show interest in you in particular." I said.

"Really?" Jean's eyes widened a bit.

" Yeah I mean, that person could be standing right under your nose as we speak." I laughed trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. But I almost lost my cool when Jean gripped my shoulders.

"Are you saying it's someone here right now? Who is it? Tell me!" he shook me a little. Marco straitened and plopped his fist on his palm as if he just figured things out.

"Oh...their right Jean, you are looking in the wrong place." he said patting the brunette on the back.

"What? You know too? Just tell me already! I thought you guys were my friends, come on! Is it someone I know? Is she pretty? Does she think I'm good looking?" Jean asked a whole bunch of questions, each one boosting his own ego.

Eren face palmed while Marco shook his head disappointedly. "You are the biggest moron." Eren mumbled. Before Jean could respond Rivaille walked up to us.

"Oi, brats. Break time is over it's time to get moving." he said then walked away. I breathed a small sigh of relief. Rivaille came just enough time before Jean started asking too many questions. I think Eren would have exploded with the truth if that went on. Jean may seem smart usually, but he can be an idiot too sometimes.

I couldn't help but laugh at the thought.

* * *

**See you next time guys! (◡‿◡✿)**


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